Ownership of a property with a long residential lease is a valuable asset. However its value decreases with each passing year and leases of less than 80 years are harder, if not impossible to sell.

Before beginning the process of letting your property, be prepared. Many see letting a house or a flat as a means of generating income and growing your capital, but without the right legal advice it can still be a complicated business.

A point in our favour if you’re considering remortgaging, equity release, or a transfer of equity is the fact that we’re on the panel for the majority of high street lenders. When the consent of your lender is required, this is a key advantage.

When there are children involved, separation can become even more painful. Which parent should they live with, who will support them financially, and how much contact is each parent to be allowed?

Ending a marriage or long term relationship is always a big step, and never an easy decision. Although it may be for the best, this is still one of the most emotional, unsettling moments in your life and the right support is essential.

When separating, divorcing or upon dissolution of a civil partnership reaching a good financial settlement is vital.

Planning for the later years of your life can be an uncomfortable topic for some but at Steeles Law we encourage clients of all ages to think about the future and consider making arrangements for yourself and your family.

Frequently referred to as a Living Will, an Advance Decision is a written statement indicating that in the event of a terminal illness, mental incapacity or permanent unconsciousness, you do not wish to be kept alive by artificial means or have your life prolonged by certain medical treatment.

Whatever the size of the estate, there is always the possibility of complex, emotional and drawn out disputes regarding Wills. Equally, where a Will hasn’t been made, the laws of intestacy may fail to protect the family of the deceased. Whatever your situation, we’re here for you.

In an ideal world, when someone you care for becomes incapable of managing their own affairs they will have a Lasting Power of Attorney in place. If they don’t, an application needs to be made to the Court of Protection to appoint a Deputy to handle that individual’s property and financial concerns.

When you pass away, you want to leave your loved ones as much of your wealth as possible. However, with Inheritance Tax (IHT) charged at 40% on estates worth more than £325,000, IHT can take a significant slice out of anything you wish to bequeath family and friends.

Have you considered what might happen if accident, illness or old age left you incapable of making decisions, and you didn’t have Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPAs) in place? The answer is that someone would have to apply to the Court of Protection to be allowed to mange your assets on your behalf.

The good news is that most of us are living longer. The less welcome news is that these extra years can cost us more in terms of paying for care, potentially leaving our children with little or no inheritance. Even when leaving an inheritance isn’t the number one priority, protecting your independence, dignity and self-respect is surely high on the agenda.

When someone close to you dies, we can help. Whether or not a Will has been left, we can simplify complex legal matters and provide real support at one of life’s more testing times.

A legal arrangement where one or more persons, called trustees, look after assets for the benefit of others, called beneficiaries, a trust is a valuable, tax efficient means of managing your family’s future financial security.

Making a Will is something many of us put off, continually pushing it to the back of our minds because we’d rather not think about what’s going to happen when we die. Which is understandable. However a Will is the single most important legacy you can leave your loved ones.

After people, property is the next major expense for many businesses and if not approached professionally can present a significant risk. With increasingly labyrinthine commercial property transactions, there is a growing need for legal specialists with the experience, foresight, and pragmatism to deliver working solutions in an ever-changing environment.

At Steeles Law we have a large and experienced team of commercial lawyers who can advise on all aspects of running your business – from start-up, employing staff and purchasing your business premises, through to expansion, resolving disputes or selling your business.

Buying or selling a business is always a tough decision. It also has the potential to be a complicated one, with multiple legal issues to be considered before a successful transaction can be completed. Which is why you need a comprehensive plan of action from the word go.

Whether you’re a start up ready for a more formal structure, or an established company that needs to restructure, we can provide experienced, expert advice tailored to your business type; advice that best protects your interests, assets, and personal liabilities.

The fact of the matter is, all companies require contracts. Whether complex agreements for specific circumstances, or basic terms and conditions for daily use, we have the experience and expertise to provide easily understood advice at every stage of the contract formation process. Clarifying the risks involved in any relationship, and guaranteeing you guard against them.

Corporate finance is the lifeblood of any business. Helping you mitigate risk and maximise profit, we can provide quick, clear, comprehensive advice on how best to proceed through a range of complex deals, ensuring you make the right business decisions.

As one of your single most valuable assets, your intellectual property rights need to be carefully guarded. Whether it’s help with brand or copyright, trademarks or design, our highly experienced team can identify where there is an automatic intellectual property (IP) right, when one needs to be registered, and how to best protect and exploit your IP.

"I don’t want to end up in court." No, we don’t want you to either. Fortunately, there are now many different means of resolving business disputes without resorting to litigation.

Protecting your cash flow is vital if you want to keep your business afloat. To avoid debtor issues, our highly experienced team can help you establish an efficient means of payment collection in-house. If you already face issues, we can provide a tailored debt recovery service on a fixed fee, or percentage of recovery basis. Why, we can even help you recover non-UK debts.

Property disputes are rarely black and white. Whether the dispute is between landlord and tenant, seller and buyer, a dispute over trespassers and boundaries, lease-end dilapidations or business rates, you can trust our expert team of property litigation lawyers to resolve the disagreement with professionalism, sensitivity and care, no matter how complex.

You could be a Head of HR dealing with a collective consultation for potential redundancies or TUPE, or you could be facing a tribunal claim from an employee. Maybe you’re the owner of a SME with an employee issue you’re unsure how to approach.

We set out below our pricing for bringing and defending claims for unfair or wrongful dismissal.

With our roots in South Norfolk’s Waveney Valley, it’s little wonder that agriculture is close to our hearts. Experts in our field, we regularly handle sales, purchases, easements, farm business tenancies and Agricultural Holdings Act tenancies for a solid client base in East Anglia.

Recently asked to contribute to the Government’s Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse (IICSA), our reputation for excellence, and trust, in this highly specialist area continues to grow.

If you’re based in the UK, sell goods and have a self-employed sales force, you’re probably already aware that commercial agents are particularly well protected under the Commercial Agents Regulations 1993. Which makes parting company with them a potentially expensive business for you, the principal.

A high performing player in the East Anglia education sector, we handle the legal aspects of converting schools to academies, while advising existing academies on how to become multi-academy trusts.

We have a track record of success in the highly competitive arena of motorsport. Attracting a world-class portfolio of global names, we’ve put together a top team of specialist lawyers perfectly equipped to meet the ever-changing needs of motorsport, and related high tech engineering industries.

Many small business owners will be surprised to learn that technically, on the death of a sole trader, the business dies too; any assets that are owned by the sole trader are part of the estate of the deceased for which probate must be obtained.

Today the government has announced new legislation to overhaul the divorce law in England and Wales. The news means that divorcing couples will be able to have a “fault free divorce” and will no longer need to blame each other for the breakdown of their marriage.

Diss

London

Steeles and the symbol are registered trademarks of Steeles Law Solicitors Limited authorised, regulated and licensed by the Solicitors Regulation Authority as an Alternative Business Structure (ABS). SRA number 592311. Steeles Law Solicitors Limited is a limited company registered in England and Wales registered no. 08294222. Registered office: Lawrence House, 5 St Andrews Hill, Norwich NR2 1AD. A full list of directors is available from the registered office.